“Any idiot can face a crisis. It’s day-to-day living that wears you out!” -Anton Chekhov

All that concur scream “I”.

I have had the grand opportunity recently to deeply consider the vital importance of life experience. Life experience can only be gained through time and personal exposure. Sure we are able to share our life experiences with others through the telling of stories in one form or another, but that does not give the recipient that life experience.

Merriam-Webster explains it this way:

“Main Entry:
1ex·pe·ri·ence
Date:
14th century
1 a: direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge b: the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation 2 a: practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity b: the length of such participation 3 a: the conscious events that make up an individual life b: the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally 4: something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through 5: the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality”

I have walked many roads in my life. I have had the unique opportunity to directly observe and participate in countless events that have come to not only make me who I am but have and does enable me to have a pool of knowledge from which to extract in order to deal with much of what life and individuals bring to the table. In no way do I discount the blessings and light which has been carefully placed throughout my entire life that provided for each and every training ground in which I have and will visit. Gratitude continually seeps from my heart.

The time, the means, the opportunity, the ambition and more has given me the chance to gain an incredible education and experience different cultures and gain eternal friendships throughout the world and so much more. I have encountered everything from blissful joy to devastating heartbreak and everything in between which has taught me lessons gained in no other way. The most important lesson that I have learned is to take the hand of my Savior in order to get myself up from the gulfs of misery and continue on when it all seems pointless. I have found the secret of life and I know how to apply it in my life. What an amazing gift!

I have begun to write a book. As I have really poured thought and consideration into what I wish to share in the form of writing, I am rediscovering the life.